Technological Hilarity: the world of Brian Moore

March is ADC Young Guns Month here on the ADC Blog! As we head towards the deadline for Young Guns 13 entries, we will be featuring the works and thoughts of Young Guns 12, the latest class to join the exclusive club of young creative professionals. We will also be sharing the thoughts of the judges who voted them in. This way, you’ll have some idea of what it takes to become a Young Gun — and the answers just might surprise you.

The next Young Guns 12 winner to be featured cleverly infuses ones and zeroes with a sense of humor that wasn’t lost on the judges.

I first learned of Young Guns back in 2011, when I was invited to attend the call for entries party. Funny story: I was invited by my friend and Young Gun Justin Gignac (YG5) (who said “there’s a ton of cute girls here.”) I met my now girlfriend at that party. Same guy suggested I apply a couple years later.

Did that leave you with any pangs of doubt before entering, thinking you maybe weren’t good enough to join all of the big names that have won before?

Well, looks like I already answered this question because, yeah. These previous winners are fucking incredible.

I overcame the feeling with a stiff cocktail.

How did you decide which pieces to submit? Was it a no-brainer or did you have to really think about your entry?

Getting crazy shit approved by clients is always gonna be a battle, but I was lucky enough to have a couple projects greenlit not long before I sent in my work, so I had my professional work lined up to go.

Now, that being said, I like to put a shit ton of work into my side projects, and sometimes the pro and the “personal” line blurs, so picking the personal stuff was hard. I ended up picking the things I felt were the most fleshed out — stuff I’d show clients if they were wondering if they should hire me.

“If you’re like me, you think your work doesn’t hold up to the quality of the winners, but you’re probably thinking too hard.”

Tell us what it was like when you found out you won.

First I made sure that I was reading it right, then I celebrated. Quietly. Because you’re sworn to secrecy when you win.

Which past Young Guns winners do you admire most?

There are too many to count! Not to mention the ones who won with me. Seriously, there’s no better way to humble yourself than walking around at the Young Guns show and see the other work. There is some seriously incredible talent that I can’t believe I get to be recognized with.

What have you been up to since winning? Has Young Guns opened up any new doors for you since winning last fall?

Doing a bit of the same fun Internet work. That and trying my hand at a new social app my partners and I are launching soon. Stay tuned..

What would you tell someone who was deciding whether or not to enter Young Guns 13?

If you’re like me, you think your work doesn’t hold up to the quality of the winners, but you’re probably thinking too hard. Just submit, drink that cocktail, and wait.

————————————————“The long hours of critique, discussion, and debate in the ADC Young Guns judging room were met with levity when it was time to check out Brian Moore’s work. He combines unique (and often hilarious) insights with clever uses of technology, resulting in really fresh ideas. They make you laugh. They make you think. And they brilliantly solve the problem at hand. Whether it’s an app that keeps you away from your friends instead of connecting you to them, or a way to raise money for UNICEF by creating a smartphone drought, Brian’s stuff has a knack for getting famous on the Internet. Of course, now that he’s a fellow Young Gun, we can all assume our feeds will continue to be blown up with Brian’s ideas for years to come.”

“‘Cloak’ had everyone laughing out loud. Programming is rarely associated with punchlines, but all of his projects flipped that on its head. Apps that help you hide from your friends, or alert you when the bathroom is available, were these really high-concept deliveries of pretty silly ideas. It was awesome. In a room where people were debating the merits of typography or knit-pick execution, it was great to simply discuss a concept.”